4.00pm Switch on Christmas Lights

4.30pm Schools Lantern Procession.

Children from various schools Marine, Monkseaton, Marden and Rockliffe will
weave their way into the grounds of St Paulís Church then into the town centre via the new shopping
mall with hand made lanterns.

Fairground and Market

The Fairground, French and Northumbrian Market will be open where produce including: honey,
foie gras, cheese, meats, jams, cakes, crepes, freshly baked bread and a Northumbrian BBQ will be available.

Local retailers in Whitley Bay will stay open for late night Christmas shopping.

Saturday 3 December 2005

10.am to 4pm French and Northumbrian Market in Whitley Bay Town Centre

Tickets are available from Whitley Bay Playhouse, choir members or by phoning
0191 2531865

Whats the Festival about?

The Whitley Bay St Nicholas Festival, now in its seventh, is firmly
established as a welcome start to the Christmas season. It was first
started by the then vicar of St Paulís, Father Norman Banks, before he left for
Walsingham.

This year it will be held on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd of December, marking
the feast day of St Nicholas. You will find details of the varied events in this
programme, with something for everyone, from live entertainment, fun fair
rides, to the ever-popular food market, with farmers from France and
Northumbria.

St Nicholas himself was Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, (now known as
Turkey) who lived in the fourth century. He is regarded as the patron saint of
children, sailors, merchants, bakers, pawnbrokers and prisoners (quite a
workload for one saint!). At the end of the 11th century some Italian
merchants transported the remains from Myra to Bari in Italy, where his tomb
is now a shrine.

The custom of celebrating St Nicholas as the patron saint of children has
survived in many countries of Europe, notably The Netherlands, where
Sinterklaas Day on December 5 is more important than Christmas. Dutch
people took the custom to the United States, where Sinterklaas was
transformed into Santa Claus.

Have a good St Nicholas festival!

For further information, please contact the Whitley Bay Playhouse on
0191 252 6857.

If you know of any events which you would like listed please contact the webmaster

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